Crash course in EPD's (Wheres the cattlemen)

[Tuffbroadhead]

Years ago when I was neck deep in cattle, science was not a big deal, fast forward to nowdays and science is a major tool for the modern cattleman.

Looking at herd dynamics and forecasts by using EPD's (Expected Progeny Differences) is a learning curve, from the outside looking in there are still so many variances, length of herd tracking/registered lineage, etc that can effect the accuracy of the data.

Bull 1 REGISTERED ABBA
BW EDP 1.4 BW ACC 0.32 WW EPD 8.3 WW ACC 0.08
YW EPD 13.3 YW ACC 0.03 MAT EPD 7.7 MAT ACC 0.03
SC EPD 0.04 SC ACC 0.00 CW 12 CW ACC 0.01
REA EPD 0.31 REA ACC 0.01 MARB EPD 0.35 MARB ACC 0.00
FAT EPD 0.00 FAT ACC 0.01 TEND EPD -0.03 TEND ACC .00
RETAIL PROD ACC 0.00 RETAIL PROD EPD 0.10
DOC EPD 0.04 DOC ACC 1.40 SED EPD 5.64 SED ACC 0.06
SEM EPD 0.60 SEM ACC 0.05 FS EPD 0.07 FS ACC 0.04
BULL 37.44 QUEEN 25.78

Bull 2 REGISTERED ABBA
BW EPD -0.4 BW ACC 0.18 WW EPD 1.6 BW ACC 0.16
YW EPD 8.7 YW ACC 0.05 MAT EPD 6.8 MAT ACC 0.08
SC EPD 0.00 SC ACC 0.01 CW 10 CW ACC 0.03
REA EPD 0.19 REA ACC 0.03 MARB EPD 0.42 MARB ACC 0.01
FAT EPD 0.01 FAT ACC 0.02 TEND EPD -0.02 TEND ACC 0.02
RETAIL PROD 0.02 RETAIL PROD EPD 0.08
DOC EPD 0.11 DOC ACC -0.86 SED EPD 5.34 SED ACC 0.13
SEM EPD 0.33 SEM ACC 0.10 FS EPD -0.02 FS ACC 0.01
BULL 22.90 QUEEN 3.12


Which one do you like and why... Explain...

[Burnadell]

You okay, Dale?

[ThisLadyHunts]

We have a small cow/calf operation in Lee Cty. Never heard of this EDP concept. Am intrigued and plan to look into it.

[Nacrat]

You want the bw low and everything else high. The only numbers I look at are bw,ce,ww, yw and $$. For these I like one better even though he has a higher bw he has higher growth traits. But these accuracies aren’t very good

[Lonestar_HOYT]

Which way did he vote on the weed pole?

[Tuffbroadhead]

You okay, Dale?

Crunching numbers before I spend too much money on a F1 project for my son

[Tuffbroadhead]

You want the bw low and everything else high. The only numbers I look at are bw,ce,ww, yw and $$. For these I like two better even though he has a higher bw he has higher growth traits. But these accuracies aren’t very good

The way I interpreted it , and I may be wrong, matter of fact I my have it completly opposite.

Bull 1 would be good for a established herd because of above average BW carrying all the way out to WW.

Bull 2 would be better to put on Heifers because of the lower BW all the way out to WW but also looks to produce better marbling in the meat.

[Low Fence]

I ain’t 100% sure what you posted but here’s my data:

30 years closed here operation. A.I. To select mates bulls the “best of the best” paired and mated by a professional. I have some great genetics and animals, but still throw the same percentage of ***’s. The top end is better in the end

[Low Fence]

The way I interpreted it , and I may be wrong, matter of fact I my have it completly opposite.

Bull 1 would be good for a established herd because of above average BW carrying all the way out to WW.

Bull 2 would be better to put on Heifers because of the lower BW all the way out to WW but also looks to produce better marbling in the meat.

I had an easy calving (10) angus born yesterday.... he will weigh 110-120. Don’t put too much faith in the numbers.... there are too many variables in their data to be more than 40% accurate

[Nacrat]

Correct two would be better for heifers. But it does not give a breed average so not sure how their numbers relate to others. But the accuracies are not good at all

[Wellborn Papa]

Just put a black bull on that F1 heifer and you will be OK.

[Tuffbroadhead]

Just put a black bull on that F1 heifer and you will be OK.

No Sir, F1 project will be working toward Brafords

[Raider4044]

The way I interpreted it , and I may be wrong, matter of fact I my have it completely opposite.

Bull 1 would be good for a established herd because of above average BW carrying all the way out to WW.

Bull 2 would be better to put on Heifers because of the lower BW all the way out to WW but also looks to produce better marbling in the meat.

You're right. You can get away with a little higher birthrate with cows that have had a couple calves, but a low BW is essential when breeding heifers. In other words, a bull could be great for one herd, but could cause all kind of issues for another.